Archaeological Research On Stone Carvings Of Tang Emperors' Mausoleum

Stone carving art in Emperors' mausoleum of Tang Dynasty is the golden age that China's mausoleum carving art obtains glorious achievements. It is the bright shining pearl in Chinese ancient stone carving art development history. With its stalwart and heroic courage and boldness of vision, as well as the mature and perfect art manner. It displays the special art appearance of the vigorous period in feudalistic society. At this stage, as the main contents of funeral system of Emperors' tombs, the contents, amount, layout combines of stone carving are all fixed. The stone carving system becomes perfect, thus it become important contents of archaeological survey of Emperors' mausoleum.As an important cultural carrier, the stone carving of Emperors' mausoleum is not only a carrier of culture, but also a carrier of aesthetics. Especially as an important constitutional part of Emperors' mausoleum, stone carving of Emperors' mausoleum has closer relationship with ages. Currently, the researcher circles studies the stone carving of Tang Mausoleum mainly focusing on three aspects: first, archeological investigation simply on ancient relics of mausoleum; second, research on stone carving of Emperors' mausoleum involving in the history of mausoleum system and comprehensive imperial mausoleum; third, specific research on some plastic art and aesthetic appreciation of stone carving from the aspect of art history aspect. Because of different purpose of study, scholars adopt different research methods, the results is that their research on stone carving of Emperors' mausoleum is unilateral and insufficient to some extent. At present, less concern has paid on the relationship between stone carvings of Tang mausoleum with social development by the means of archaeological classification comparison, historical analysis and art archeology, and there haven't had any scholar carries out thorough and systematic research on it. Therefore, the author makes use of the method of archeology and art archeology, combines the research method of art history in the meantime, carry on profound and systematic research on the stone carving of Emperors' mausoleum of Tang Dynasty, trying to elaborate the bilateral relationship between stone carving of Tang mausoleum and the political system, social development of Tang Dynasty.This dissertation carries on a classification to the stone carving first. According to the dissimilarity of shape, stone carving of the Emperors' mausoleum of Tang Dynasty is divided into four types: persons, animals, stone tablets, stone pillars. The focus is on the typology research of stone carving of the Emperors' mausoleum with large number of human figures and animals. Then the author carries on analysis to the layout characteristics of each stone carving of the Emperors' mausoleum and explores the development and evolution process of the layout of the stone carvings. In addition, the author marks off different periods for stone carving of the Emperors' mausoleum according to the changes of the contents combination, flat surface, art style of stone carving, and sum up the characteristics of the stone carving of each period. Finally, the author discusses the social influence on stone carving of the Emperors' mausoleum, taking into account of the development and change of political system of the Tang Dynasty.This dissertation mainly consists of the following parts:In Chapter One, the author introduces the significance and aims of this study.In Chapter Two, the author introduces the classification of the stone carving of the Tang Emperors' mausoleum. The stone carving in Tang Emperors' mausoleum has a great number and wide variety of content. According to the dissimilarity of their shapes, the stone carvings can be divided into four types, namely person, animal, stone pillar, and stone tablet. In the meantime the stone carving can be divided into different pattern according to each kind of shape of different stone carving.Chapter Three analyzes the combination layout of the stone carving of Tang Emperors' mausoleum. Layout is for the sake of special purpose. Setting up single composing element in the certain space according to the certain rule and the norm can attain special effect that single element can't achieve. Therefore, the combination layout of community stone carving has an important function in carving art. The position of the stone carving in Tang Emperors' mausoleum also place follows a certain rule. This chapter is mainly analyze the layout of the stone carving of each Emperors' mausoleum and inquiry into the layout characteristics and development of the stone carving in Tang Emperors' mausoleum.Chapter Four is to set periods for the stone carving in Tang Emperors' mausoleum. After the study on classification and layout in the above-mentioned two chapters, the researcher tries to set period for the stone carving in Tang Emperors' mausoleum. The stone carving in 24 Emperors' mausoleum (including 6 tombs built in accordance to the specification of Emperor's mausoleum) can be divided into three periods: The first period includes Yongkang Mausoleum, Xingning Mausoleum, Xian Mausoleum, and Zhao Mausoleum. The main features of this period are that: First, the stone carving reserved the tradition East Han, Wei and Jin Dynasties. The contents and style of the stone carving are similar to that of East Han, Wei, Jin and South and North Dynasties and haven't become an own style. Second, the stone carving takes animal as its main contents, especially taking the existent animal in the reality as its main theme. Third, statues of groups of people appear. Fourth, the layout of the stone carving haven't formed fixed pattern. The second period includes longYaotang Mausoleum, Gong Mausoleum, Qian Mausoleum, Shun Mausoleum, Ding Mausoleum, Qiao Mausoleum and Hui Mausoleum.The main characteristics in this period are: First, the layout of stone carving in this period is more standardized and integrate, and forms fixed combining mode. Second, the art style of stone carving in this period is more stalwart and heroic, having stern spirit, which displays a mature and perfect art manner and shows the social expression of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Third, the content of the stone carving changes and the combination becomes more abundant. Some traditional sculpture contents, such as stone rhinoceros, Bixie, and stone tiger disappear, and new sculpture carvings images produce; new human images appear and their number and scale becomes large; Flying horses, ostrich, stone goat emerge. The third period includes Tai Mausoleum, Jian Mausoleum, Yuan Mausoleum, Chong Mausoleum, Feng Mausoleum, Jing Mausoleum, Guang Mausoleum, Zhuang Mausoleum, Zhang Mausoleum, Duan Mausoleum, Zhen Mausoleum, Jian Mausoleum, Jing Mausoleum. This period is resting on its laurels; the stone carving inherited the characteristics of the second period, pursuing variety in the stability. However, the contents and shape characteristics are different from that of the second period: First, for the content, the mysterious animal sculpture carvings disappears, the existence animal in reality occupied the contents completely. Second, the shape characteristics and craft level are greatly lower than that of the second period. Third, for the layout, the stone carving in this period pursues more on stylization and symmetry.Chapter Five analyzes the evolution of stone carving of Tang mausoleum and political system. Large stone carving never is just aesthetic carrier, but connected closely with the particular characteristics of times, rite, culture, thoughts and many other social problems. The main contents of this chapter is to take stone carving in Tang mausoleum as a constituting part of imperial mausoleum system, inquiry into the relationship between stone carving and political system of Tang Dynasty, so as to elaborate that imperial mausoleum is not only aesthetic carrier, but means of maintaining governing by ruling class. The development of stone carving of Tang emperor's mausoleum is a miniature of the social development of Tang Dynasty.Chapter Six is conclusion, summarizing that as a ruling tool under the system of feudalist hierarchy, imperial mausoleum stone carving system was finally established in Tang Dynasty. Although its fate rises and falls with the social situation, it has far-reaching influence on the imperial mausoleum system in later dynasties.